Kailo Moana
(a.k.a. Kailo mui Fale'aku)
We tell the stories that shape us, that we may become as great as our dreams. - Kailo Moana
Kailo Moana, also known as Kailo mui Fale'aku, is the most famous Fai Tala ever to arise from the Mu'o'a. They were a master storyteller and dreamwalker, and they founded the O le Feagaiga after visiting the echo of Sange after the land's destruction. Some say that their actions there ended the terrible becalming that afflicted the Great Ring after the disaster.
Kailo was hatched in the village of Fale'aku, on the western coast of Motu, over a thousand years ago. Early in life, they showed a gift for storytelling, and became the apprentice of the village Fai Tala, and learned all the stories of the village. When they reached their full height, Kailo mui Fale'aku embarked on their Malaga ole Matai, the first walk into The Dream that marks the end of a Fai Tala's apprenticeship. Kailo returned from The Dream on a blue boat pulled from memory and story, which is the form taken by Kailo's patron Aku, and with the knowledge that their destiny lay upon the waters. They renamed themselves Kailo mui Moana - Kailo of the Ocean. In time, this became simply Kailo Moana.
Kailo Moana left the village of Fale'aku and set off upon the boat that came from The Dream. It was a boat with its own legend, and carried Kailo Moana where they needed to be. Many times, Kailo would arrive in a place that was suffering or in turmoil, and they were able to find a path to the brighter future. They also sailed into The Dream many times, sliding through the unknown Wild Places upon the wide waters. Everywhere they went, Kailo Moana learned new stories and shared the ones they already knew. They made many friends and allies in their journeying. Many times, they would follow the beacon of the Fáros Óneiro back from the Dream, and the Lightkeepers considered them a friend of the Ring of Light. For a year Kailo studied in the Gwāsa of the Kitsunejin, and learned stories of the worlds that came before this one. In the Norður Islands, they tell of how Kailo Moana spoke to Ahvto of the need for a gathering place for all the spirits and gods of the oceans, a conversation which led to the creation of the Meren Kirkko.
Paradoxically, Kailo's best known adventure is also the one history knows least about. After the destruction of Sange and the beginning of The Becalming, Kailo believed that the two catastrophes must be linked together. They took their blue boat into The Dream, and sailed across the idea of the Brillante Sea until they found the memory of Sange, seeking the cause and the remedy. What they learned during this quest is not known, but The Becalming ended while they were gone and those who know of Kailo Moana's journey believe that they found the way to end it.
When Kailo Moana returned from the echo of Sange, they took steps to ensure that nobody would ever journey there again. They founded O le Feagaiga with this mission, calling together many of the friends and allies they had made over the years and binding them with dire oaths to protect the secret of what happened, lest knowledge of it give it more power within the world.
After the founding of O le Feagaiga, Kailo Moana felt the need to return home to Fale'aku. They had not been in the village for more than forty years, and desired to end their life there. The village had long told the stories of their famous child, and were happy to honor Kailo Moana in their final decades with a home and an audience for the many stories only they knew. Apprentice Fai Tala visited the village from across Motu and beyond to study at the great storyteller's fire. When death came for Kailo Moana, they left the world peacefully and surrounded by their friends. The villagers placed Kailo Moana upon their blue boat, and it carried the great shaman on their final journey into the ocean and beyond.
Since their death, the spirit of Kailo Moana has not vanished. The Fai Tala say that they have become an Aku themselves, and a guardian of those who travel in The Dream. Many Fai Tala claim to have met the Eidolon of Kailo Moana, most often when they were lost or in danger. A shrine to Kailo Moana is present in many Mu'o'a villages, and they remain one of the most honored of the Mu'o'a ever to have lived.
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